This
is not a time for believers in Christ to be in fear or despair. God, our
Father, is very actively revealing His goodness on Earth, NOW. Those who
come into agreement with Him and His Word will know His goodness and
will participate with Him in revealing His love. It is very important
for believers in Jesus not to look at the current darkness of the world
more than they are looking at the light of God’s glory. I sought
Jehovah, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They
looked to Him, and were filled with light; and their faces were not
ashamed. (Psalms 34:4-5 MKJV) This is the time to walk in the light.

“The
people who dwell in darkness saw a great light, and to those who dwell
in the land and darkness of death a light rose for them.” From then on
Y’shua [Jesus] began to preach and to say, “You must continuously repent
for the Kingdom of the Heavens has come near” (Mat 4:16-17 ONMB).
The tense used in the Greek language tells us to walk in repentance
every day. Repentance is not a one time event; it is a life-style of
transformation as we walk humbly with God.

For many Christians the word repent
is misunderstood and not a popular subject. However, Paul wrote in
Hebrews 6:1 that repentance is a foundation principle like faith. John
the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by teaching about repentance.
Jesus also began his ministry by telling people they must repent because
the Kingdom of Heaven was within their reach. At that time they did not
realize that Jesus is the King and He is the light. When a person
first comes to God they repent by turning their heart to God and away
from their old life. The ability to repent comes from the grace of God
as a person receives a revelation of God’s goodness, (Romans 2:4, Acts
11:18, 2nd Timothy 2:25).

Repent - What Does it Mean?

To repent means to change the way you
think. This is very important because when you change what you think
you change your life. The Bible says that what you think is who you
really are, Proverbs 23:7. What you speak, what you do, and how you feel
will follow what you think. Your mind and thoughts are the front line in
God’s transforming work in you. Changing what you think changes your
life and sets a new direction for your future. Repentance is a decision to believe and
walk in the light of a revelation of truth from God.

Repentance also means to turn away from sin and turn toward God, to
face Him. Sin is anything that distracts you away from God. When you
turn toward God your spiritual senses begin to focus on Him. This puts
you in position to receive revelation from Him. Revelation from God
causes you to change your perspective which causes you to change what
you think. What you focus on you will connect with and become like.

When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the
Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we
all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as
by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NKJV)

When you focus on Jesus the veil of deception and darkness is removed
and you begin to see the light of His glory. This allows the Holy Spirit
to do a transforming work in you. Notice we go from glory to glory,
revelation to revelation, which causes us to change the way we think as
we come into agreement with what God is revealing to us. We are
transformed by changing what we think. Repentance is not going back and
starting over; it is going from one level to the next level in your walk
with God.

What You Focus on is What You
Are Conscious of

The
more God-conscious you are the better. David understood how important it
is to focus on the Lord. I have
set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall
not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My
flesh also will rest in hope. (Psalms 16:8-9 NKJV)

Notice
how setting the Lord before you affects your entire spirit, soul, and
body. My heart is glad, your heart is your soul and your mind.
My glory rejoices, this is your spirit the part of you where God
dwells, the glory of God in you. My flesh also will rest in hope;
this is your physical body. I have set the LORD always before
me. The word set in this verse means to “focus on” and
it also means to become like the one you are focused on.

You will keep him
in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he
trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) Peace is the Hebrew word
shalom it means to experience the peace of God and every blessing of
God. The word mind in this verse means your imagination. Your
imagination is a part of your heart where you process thoughts, desires
and images. Images and desires that cause you to turn your focus away
from God are sin; remember images can be idols. Thoughts, images and
desires that are focused on God cause you to unite with Him, and receive
from Him. Your imagination, thoughts, and desires are a bridge that
connects you to the spiritual realm, for good or for bad.

A few
weeks ago I was sick with a bad cold and fever. One morning I awoke and
felt that I was not getting enough air because my sinuses were stopped
up and it seemed difficult to breathe. As I focused on my breathing I
started to think I was not getting enough air. I thought I have
shortness of breath; do I need to go to a hospital, I wondered? I
immediately called out to Jesus from my heart and began to focus my mind
on Him. In my imagination I tried to see Him, I could see light, I
focused on the light and I started to feel better quickly. Then I
realized I was actually getting too much air, I was hyperventilating, I
was breathing too much, not too little.

Focusing on problems can lead to deception making the problems worse. I
tried to stay focused on Jesus and some promises from the Holy Bible and
by the end of the day I had made a speedy recovery from the sickness.
When we repent and focus on Jesus we see things differently. Focusing on
Jesus brings light, truth, healing, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

A
pastor friend of mine shared with me a few months ago that he had been
asking the Lord many questions. As he was praying and seeking God he had
a vision and he could see Jesus. He realized that when he was looking at
Jesus he knew the answers to all of his questions.

Seek
the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the
wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him
return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For
He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor
are your ways My ways," says the LORD. (Isaiah 55:6-8 NKJV) God wants you to have His
thoughts and walk in His ways. When you are not He is calling you to
return to Him, to repent.

In a
previous message about righteousness I mentioned that since Adam and Eve
there are only two ways a person can go. You can choose “your way” or
you can choose “God’s way”. When you repent you are rejecting your way
and choosing God’s way. In the scripture above we see that God is
calling the people to repent and choose His way and His thoughts. Notice
also that the scripture says “return to the Lord” that means He is
addressing people who knew Him before but have forgotten Him.

Anytime you realize you are not thinking God’s thoughts and walking in
God’s ways you need to repent; which is to return, refocus, and renew
your mind. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God, (Romans 12:2 NKJV). To choose
God’s way means to come into agreement with His Word. Jesus is the Word.
Jesus reveals Himself through the Holy Bible and through the Holy Spirit
living inside the believer. The Word of God cleanses our mind and
sanctifies us as we agree with the Word, (Ephesians 5:25-27). Your mind
can be corrupted by listening to bad media and seeing bad images. Your
mind is made clean and new by the Word of God.

At
this time, since we are bombarded by many forms of media we must be very
careful about how we are allowing our minds to be programmed. The media
you listen to and the images you see can become a part of you. The
question is, are we programming ourselves with life or death, truth or
lies, love or fear, God or satan? Do not love
the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the
Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust
of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever, (1 John 2:15-17
NKJV).

"Do
not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore
your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. (Matthew
6:19-22 NKJV)
What you are looking at physically and spiritually affects your whole
being. We are to be more heaven focused and considering eternity rather
than earth focused. Our current situation on earth is temporary and
treasure stored on earth is temporary. However, the rewards we store up
in Heaven are eternal.

"Therefore
do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or
'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For
your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek
first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV)
The Lord is saying not to worry about your needs, He will provide as you
seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness. It is very important to be God
conscious more than you are need conscious.